‘Blade Runner’ Oscar Pistorius may see early release after upcoming parole meeting: report
Disgraced Paralympian Oscar Pistorius is up for parole once again and could see an early release “within weeks” after serving half of his 13-year sentence.
“We were notified of the parole hearing by the Department of Correctional Services,” Tania Koen, an attorney representing Riva Steenkamp’s parents, told Soweton Live. “We also note that Pistorius, like any criminal, is entitled to parole after serving a certain portion of his sentence.”
“All we can say on this matter is,” Coen said, “the law must take its course.”
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 08: Oscar Pistorius of South Africa celebrates winning the gold medal in the Men’s 400m T44 Final on Day 10 of the London 2012 Paralympic Games at Olympic Stadium on September 8, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Michael Steele / Getty Images)
Pistorius, a double amputee dubbed “Blade Runner” and multiple-gold medal-winning athlete, was convicted in 2015 of murdering his then-girlfriend Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day 2013 and sentenced to 13 years and five months in prison Went.
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He now faces a parole hearing on March 31 to determine whether he should be granted early release. All prisoners in South Africa have the chance of parole after serving half their sentence, which means Steenkamp’s parents do not have the ability to appeal against the verdict.
Oscar Pistorius and Riva Steenkamp at an award ceremony in Johannesburg on November 4, 2012. (AP Photo/Lucky Nxumlo-CityPress)
Pistorius’s lawyer, Julian Knight, insisted the appeal was an “internal process”.
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A South African court in Pretoria initially convicted him of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, but a year later overturned it to a murder conviction. The timing of Pistorius’ parole remains a matter of confusion due to the timing of his original and overturned conviction.
Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius in court on February 22, 2013 in Pretoria, South Africa, for a bail hearing charged with the shooting death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
Pistorius initially pushed for that half-term milestone in 2021, arguing that he had “done everything in his power to rehabilitate, to conduct himself in a way that was not in line with prison regulations”. To show complete repentance, to follow through consistently.”
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“I have completed all possible programs offered to me and in fact I am eligible for release on parole per the guidelines of the Department of Correctional Services,” he said in a statement.
Oscar Pistorius of South Africa competes in the Men’s 400m semi finals in the Athletics event during the London 2012 Olympic Games on August 5, 2012 in London. (Johannes Eisel/AFP via Getty Images)
Pistorius spoke with Steenkamp’s father last year as part of the parole process in South Africa, but The New York Post reported that the gesture may have been more than a legal formality as his longtime friend Bill Schroder said in 2020 claimed that Pistorius was begging for an apology.
Schröder said that Pistorius told him “I want to tell him I’m sorry.”
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Pistorius claimed that he shot Steenkamp because he mistook him for an intruder, but prosecutors argued that he shot him intentionally because he shot her four times. A prosecutor also said in 2014 that Pistorius offered the family $34,000, which they turned down because they did not want to accept “blood money”.
